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| Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem welcomes Speaker Pelosi at Damascus airport. |
Democrats are doing Bush’s job. Somebody’s got to, because he certainly isn’t. From Feingold and Reid on the Iraq war to the State Department sending Bill Richardson to North Korea to Speaker Pelosi going to Syria, that little man in the White House just shrunk another size. As Ryan Lizza said on MSNBC, it’s not like Pelosi is going to Syria “to suck up to Assad.” Indeed.
This is what diplomacy looks like. So it’s not a shock that Mr. Bush and the
Republicans are aghast that Speaker Pelosi made a trip to Syria to talk to President
Bashar Assad. Mr. Bush wouldn’t do diplomacy if the Middle East was on fire and the
Syrians had the only fire extinguisher. Oh, that’s right, it is on fire and though Assad may not hold the only key he certainly could be a part of the equation. But there’s obviously another reason for
the Republican angst. Israel.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Syria on Tuesday, the highest-ranking
American politician to visit the country since relations began to deteriorate
four years ago. President Bush criticized the trip, saying it sends mixed
signals to President Bashar Assad.(snip)
Pelosi has said she will tell Syrian leaders that Israel will talk peace
with them only if Syria stops supporting Palestinian militants. She has said
she will also talk to the Syrians about Iraq, their role in neighboring Lebanon
and their support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants.“It’s interesting because three of our colleagues, who are all Republicans,
were in Syria yesterday and I didn’t hear the White House speaking out about
that,” Pelosi said, referring to the Sunday meeting of Reps. Frank Wolf,
Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt with Assad in Damascus.“I think that it was an excellent idea for them to go,” said Pelosi.
“And I think it’s an excellent idea for us to go, as well.” …
..
It’s in Israel’s interest to talk to Syria. Cooperation between these two countries
is desperately needed and has the potential of changing the temperature between
Israelis and Palestinians. But I believe Bush doesn’t want Israel to make friends
in the region that would pressure the U.S. to change the policy, which has been hands off all the way. Bush has only one direction: ever
rightward. It’s as if Bush wants to be Israel’s only friend so the co-dependency
can continue. Everyone is an enemy is Bushworld, which even if true means more
dialogue is needed not less. But that’s just not the way of my way George.
Oh, and God forbid Speaker Pelosi’s visit made a difference. But wait a minute,
she already has, because she’s the Speaker of the House and when someone of
this high stature goes to a country is legitimizes the leaders she’s visiting.
Respecting the leaders of other countries, even though we have strong disagreements
and serious issues that remain unresolved. What a shocking way to woo the world.
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